1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to performing transactions with anonymity and, more particularly, to a method for providing a unique identifier for collectively electronically tagging personal data.
2. Background Description
People are hesitant to supply personal data for making transactions for fear of subsequently being placed on direct marketing mailing lists. This is particularly true in conducting transactions over the Internet. If this step of providing name and address were replaced with a more anonymous identifier, perhaps more potential customers would engage in electronic transactions on the Internet. And for those who do, repeated transactions would be easier as they would only have to provide the one field. Such an anonymous identifier could also be used in other types of transactions as well, including telephone transactions and face-to-face transactions in a retail shop.
In order to accomplish this, however, a third party identifier supplier has to be a trusted part of the transaction. Many transactions requiring name and address information involve having a product shipped to a customer. The provider of that service (e.g., U.S. Postal Service, UPS, Federal Express, or other carrier) could well provide a unique personal identifier for the customer. This same identifier could later be used as an additional means for tracking shipments made to the customer. Rather than using a new delivery identifier for each shipment, the customer could provide their personal identifier to track shipment.